


It's (Not) So Easy

by LoveNormanReedus



Category: Axl Rose (Musician), Guns N' Roses, Slash (Musician)
Genre: 2017 Axl Rose, 2017 Duff McKagan, 2017 Slash, 52 year old Slash, 55 year old axl, F/M, Fluff, I suck at tagging, Language, Not in this lifetime Tour, Sexual Tension, Smut, Swearing, how do tag, not a oneshot, smut in later chapters, they are present age in this fic, you get it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-01-05 11:23:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12189054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveNormanReedus/pseuds/LoveNormanReedus
Summary: My first GNR x Reader story. Your dad is a music producer/in the music business, and you yourself have an interest in music. Somehow, you two end up touring with Guns 'N Roses on their Not In This Lifetime tour, and you might or might not fall for a few of the rockers. I suck at summaries, smut in later chapters, updates as often as possible. Worth the read!





	1. Chapter 1

This is my first GNR x reader story, please give feedback! Thanks! 

I was on my way home from school. Thank God it was Friday. I was so ready for the weekend. School this week has been a bitch, it was like all the teachers decided to plan their tests to all happen in the same week, and I had no free time since I spent every waking hour studying. I had done well though, as usual. Mostly A’s on them, although I got a B on the math test. But hey, everyone sucks at math, right? I was walking home, since my house isn’t far from the school. I approached the house, a typical two story suburban house. You know, the stereotypical green grass, nice yard and garden, two car garage, really big nice looking house. 

I unlocked the side door to the garage and let myself in. Mom was still at work, so of course her car was gone, but Dad’s car was there. It was a bright orange Dodge Charger, as he was in the music business, so we could afford to live luxuriously. I walked across the garage and entered the house. I walked in and sat my bookbag down on one of the bar chairs in the kitchen and went to the fridge to get a soda. I closed the fridge door and turned around, bumping into my dad. I yelped and almost dropped my soda in surprise.

“Dad! How many times have I told you not to do that?” I scolded him.

He laughed, and I punched him on the shoulder. I walked past him while opening my can of soda. 

“How was school?” he asked.

I took a sip from the can. “It was school. Got almost all A’s on my tests.”

“Well, that’s not a surprise. You always do well in school.” He said, smiling. 

I nodded. “Well, it’s been a long day and a long week. I’m going to practice.” I said, picking up my bookbag.

“Which instrument is it today?” dad asked.

I thought for a minute. “Probably drums” I answered.

“Okay, have fun. Don’t go deaf.” He said. 

“I won’t” I said, smiling.

“I’ll be in my office if you need anything.” He said.

“ ‘kay” I yelled back, already halfway up the stairs. I dropped my bookbag off in my bedroom, then headed down to the basement to practice.

*Dad’s POV*  
I sat down in my office chair, and not thirty seconds later heard the drums start up from down in the basement. I smiled to myself. She has always been musically inclined, ever since she was little. I could hear the she was practicing the drum part to Chop Suey, one of her favorite System of a Down songs. Luckily, the basement is somewhat soundproofed, so it was less noisy than it would be if it wasn’t. I was glad, since I had a conference call I had to attend. But this wasn’t any regular conference. This was with a very famous man that many people were familiar with. 

I logged onto Skype, and I set my account to show that I was active and online. I waited about a minute or so, and then I got a call request. I sat up straighter in my chair, and accepted the call. The face of none other than Axl Rose, the lead singer of Guns ‘N Roses, appeared on my screen. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Rose” I said.

Axl rolled his eyes. “Don’t start that with me, I hear that enough. Call me Axl, I hate formalities.” He said.

I smiled. “Of course, Axl. How are you doing?” 

Axl shrugged. “About as good as you’d expect.” He said, taking a swig from what looked like a bottle of beer.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked.

Axl swallowed his swig of beer. “Oh, yeah. I wanted to ask you if you’d be willing to be one of the… what would you call it…. managers I guess is the word I’m looking for. For this reunion tour.”

My breath caught in my throat. This could be the chance of a lifetime. I was startled out of my trance by Axl snapping his fingers at the screen.

“Hey, you okay man?” he asked, confused.

I blinked a few times and recomposed myself. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I would love to be one of the managers for your tour! What exactly would that involve?” I inquired.

Axl shrugged. “Ya know, managing things” he said with a chuckle. “You’d help keep things organized, help with soundcheck and mixing, that sort of thing.”

I nodded. “That sounds like a great opportunity. Can I ask how long this tour will be?”

Again, Axl shrugged. “My managers are still working on that, but it might be a year or maybe more. There’ll be little breaks in between continents. We’ve been doing shows already but it’s not the “official” reunion tour yet. That’s what is coming up. The recent shows have been sort of a lead up for it.”

I nodded, and instantly found myself thinking of my daughter. How could I be away from her for an entire year, or more? With her mother pulling so many hours at work because of short staffing, and her trip coming up soon, how could anyone be home with her? I mean, I know she’s 18, but she is still in school! She’s still my little girl!

Again, I snapped out of my train of thought when I heard Axl trying to get my attention again.

“Hey, man are you sure you’re okay with doing this? You look worried.” Axl said. “I’m not forcing you to do it, I’m just very impressed with your work in the studio, and with touring with other bands and helping them get their start and build a reputation. I understand if you don’t want to.”

I shook my head. “It’s not that. It’s just…” I started, and then trailed off. 

Right then, it seemed like (Y/N) realized that it was completely quiet and decided to go into a very loud, very intense drum solo. I grimaced, as I hoped that Axl wouldn’t be able to hear all that noise. 

It seemed he did, though. 

“Are you at the studio right now?” he asked, puzzled.

I shook my head. “No, I’m in my office at home.”

“Who’s that banging away on the drums?” he asked, amused at my awkwardness about the noise coming from the background.

“That’s my daughter. She’s down in the basement practicing. She must have picked up on the silence and decided that it was too quiet. I can go tell her to tone it down a bit.” I said, starting to get up from my chair. 

Axl laughed, something that I had never really heard before from him. “No man, it’s fine. I was just going to say that they’re really good. I didn’t know you had a daughter.”

I sat back down, and nodded. “Yeah, she’s a senior in high school. She just got home from school, and usually she spends the entire weekend downstairs practicing those drums.” I said, smiling softly.

Axl smiled. Then his smile faded a bit into realization. “Is that why you’re hesitant to come on the tour?” he asked.

I nodded. “I just don’t want her to be home alone. My wife works a lot of hours, and she’s going on a business trip that’ll last for a few months. I don’t want to leave my daughter home along for that long.” I said all in one breath.

Axl laughed again. “Calm down, man. Why don’t you bring her along?” he suggested.

I looked at him in surprise. “You’d be okay with that?” I asked, surprised.

He shrugged. “Well, yeah. I don’t see why it would be a problem.”

I thought about it for a minute. It wasn’t too bad of an idea. I mean, she is a big fan of Guns ‘N Roses, and she does finish school in a week, since her grades are so good the school was letting her graduate a semester early. So I wouldn’t have to worry about getting a tutor or anything to travel with us. 

I looked back at Axl. “Sure, that sounds like it would work. She is a big fan of you guys, I think she would enjoy it. Anything to get her out of that basement. I almost never see her.” I said, jokingly.

Axl smiled. “Great! So the tour starts in a few weeks, and we can fly you out to where we have our first show and you guys will just travel along with us.” He said.

I smiled. “Sounds like a plan! We’ll see you in a few weeks!” I said.

“Oh, and don’t worry about cost. We’ll pay for the plane tickets to get you guys out here. My treat, I insist.” Axl said, smiling.

“Wow, I appreciate that very much, Axl. See you soon!” I said. 

“I look forward to meeting you face to face. And meeting your daughter.” He said. “have a good weekend”

“you too” I said, clicking the end call button. 

Man, wait until I tell (Y/N)!!

****Do you prefer first person or second person POV when reading reader inserts? Comment below! If you want, I can upload this story under another name and label it as second person. Please let me know!****


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes. If you find any, please let me know and I'll try to fix them!

*Your POV*  
I hit the last note of the drum solo I was practicing and listened to the last note ring throughout the basement. I was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. People really didn’t understand that drumming is a workout all of its own. I put my drumsticks down and got up from the stool. I made my way up the stairs to the kitchen, as the basement got very hot and stuffy while I was practicing. 

“Hey (Y/N), come here a minute!” dad yelled from his office. I walked in, and he was sitting in his chair with a wide grin on his face.

“What’s up?” I asked, confused.

“How would you like to go on a trip with me?” he asked.

Okay, what? “Um, where would we be going?” I asked. 

“Well, there’s a band that’s doing a tour, and since mom is going to be gone for a few months for her business trip, I figured since you were done with school soon you would want to go with me.” He explained.

I nodded. “sure, why not. When do we leave?”

“In a couple weeks.” He answered.

“Cool” I said, then went back to my room. I’ve gone on little tours with dad before, and usually they’re with bands who are trying to build a name for themselves. Usually I end up liking the band, so I figured I’d give this one a chance as well.

*time skip brought to you by Slash’s fuzzy head*

The weeks went by fast. I finished school with all A’s, and the day that we were leaving finally arrived. I was more than ready to travel. Although, I would miss my drumkit and other instruments, I could always get some practice in before soundcheck and everything. I came downstairs dragging my luggage behind me, and one of dad’s friends drove us to the airport.

We got through security without any trouble, and we were just making our way to the plane when dad suddenly veered off to another entrance. 

“Dad, where are you going? The entrance is right here.” I questioned him.

“Oh, that’s third class. We’re flying first class this time” he said.

Wow, what’s the occasion? “Oh, okay. Cool” I said. 

The flight was very comfortable, even though I had no clue where we were going. I had earbuds in most of the time, and dad refused to tell me where we were going. 

All I know is that the flight was long, and that wherever we landed was very dark, almost like it was the middle of the night. Dad had told me that the tour he was helping with had been going on for a little while, but it was officially a world tour starting with this upcoming show. Other than that, he didn’t tell me anything else, not even the band’s name. 

We got off the plane, and a wave of sleepiness hit me. What was it, like 1 AM? 

“Where are we?” I asked, yawning. 

“Osaka, Japan” dad answered.

That woke me up. Japan? Like, the Japan? The country? “What? Seriously? It’s gotta be 1 in the fucking morning dad!”

He laughed and checked his phone. “Actually, you’re pretty close. It’s 1:45 in the morning.”

I groaned. He knew that Jet Lag was my biggest weakness when it came to flying, and this much of a time change was gonna fuck me up for a while. 

“Relax, grumpypants. We already have the hotel room and everything. We can go and you can get your beauty sleep, princess.” He said, teasingly.

I stuck my tongue out at him. He laughed at me again, and I followed him out to get a taxi, which took us into the city. I had to admit, it was amazing. It was all lit up, but it was quiet and eerie. I liked it. The taxi pulled up to a very fancy looking hotel. It was even fancier than I was used to, but maybe that’s just how they do it in Japan. 

We entered the hotel and walked through a magnificent lobby and over to the front desk. Dad said something to the lady in Japanese, since he knows a little bit of many languages because of his constant touring and traveling. He got the keys and we headed over to the elevator. 

“Our room is a penthouse. It has a beautiful view, from what the lady at the front desk told me” he said once we were in the elevator.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened, and we stepped out. There was a door straight ahead of us, and dad walked over to it. I followed him over and stood behind him while and unlocked the door. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when the door opened.

The suite was unlike anything I could have imagined. I’ve stayed in nice suites before, don’t get me wrong. But this was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life. 

First of all, it was fucking HUGE. Right inside the door was a giant open living room, complete with multiple section corner couches, multiple coffee tables and a gigantic TV that almost took up the entire wall. Off to the left was a large, spacious kitchen with an island in the center, complete with bar with about half a dozen bar stools seated towards the outside of it in the direction of the living room. Off to the right was a hallway that I assumed lead to the bedrooms and bathrooms. I turned to Dad.

“Holy shit” was all I could get out.

He chuckled. “That’s what I thought you would say. I figured we could afford to get a really nice hotel room for your first time here in Japan.”

I went up and hugged him. “This is amazing!” I said.

“Oh, you haven’t seen the best part” he said, dropping his stuff beside the couch and walking over to a large window with the curtains drawn. He grabbed each curtain and yanked them open.

My mouth dropped open. Almost the entire city was visible from our suite. I can’t even describe what it looked like. But it was stunning. 

“Wow” I breathed out.

Dad nodded. “Ditto” he responded. 

After standing their staring at the skyline for what felt like an hour, I was finally able to tear my eyes away from the window. I picked up my stuff that I had discarded beside the door and headed towards the hallway. 

“I’m gonna try to get some sleep Dad” I said.

“Okay” he said. He walked over to me and kissed me on the forehead. “Goodnight, princess”

I smiled. “Goodnight Dad”.

I ventured back the hallway, which split off in two directions. Straight ahead was a large bathroom, and to the left and right were bedrooms. I decided to take the one to the right. I walked in and looked around in awe. Aside from having a lot of space and its own bathroom, it had very high ceilings and a large king-sized bed. The color scheme was what impressed me. Usually nice hotels like this have a light and airy feeling to the rooms and suites. Not this one, though. 

The color scheme was black and a beautiful royal purple. It had dark grey curtains that were drawn shut, and it had a magnificent chandelier that hung from the middle of the room. It also had little wall sconces scattered around the room. It was definitely my taste. 

I put my bags on one of the lounge chairs (oh yeah, did I mention there’s a SITTING AREA TOO?) and looked at the bed. It looked so inviting I wanted to dive right into it. I turned and unpacked my suitcase and put my clothes in a wardrobe that stood nearby, changed out of my clothes, and climbed into bed after turning out the lights. 

I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow. 

***Sorry for the short/boring chapter, but the next chapter will be AMAZING. And yes, the Gunners will make their appearances next chapter. 


	3. Chapter 3

To say I slept like a baby would be an understatement. Sleeping on that mattress felt like sleeping on a puffy cloud. It was amazing. The sun was just peaking in from the little slits in the curtains, enough for me to see that it was indeed daytime. I slowly awoke to the sound of muffled voices. These walls are pretty soundproof, and I was guessing that Dad and whoever he was talking to were trying to keep quiet so they wouldn’t wake me. If I had to guess who it was, I would probably say it was another manager or someone over Skype or something. They were probably discussing the details of the tour. Whoever it was who was touring. Nope, I still don’t know who it is. Oh well, guess I’ll find out soon enough whenever the show is.

I turned over on my back and did a full body stretch, feeling the pull of all my muscles still tight and cramped from sleeping. I must have slept in one position the entire night, which is highly unusual for me. I guess I can attribute it to the wonderful mattress. I sat up and peeled back the covers, turning so my feet hung over the edge of the bed. Yes, hung. As in, the bed was so high up that my feet dangled a few inches from the ground when I sat at the edge. And I’m considered tall for a girl, as I stand at 5’8”. I considered padding over to the bathroom and splashing some cold water on my face, but I figured that I could get ready later. I glanced at the clock, and saw that it was about 9:30 in the morning.

First thing’s first. Coffee. I. Need. Coffee. I slipped out of bed and shivered slightly. I had been so tired that I really didn’t put any PJ’s on. I just slept in my Victoria’s secret sports bra and short spandex shorts. I was at the point that whatever manager Dad was talking too wouldn’t pay me much mind. They never did, as they were always too busy to worry about another manager’s kid. I was lucky if I got a “hi” or “good morning” out of them. I pushed my long curly hair out of my face and put it behind my shoulders so that it hung down all the way to my waist. It was insanely poofy and curly, but I wasn’t in the mood to tame it just yet.

I quietly padded out of my room. As I walked, I heard multiple voices other than Dad’s. Maybe he was in the middle of a conference call? I just won’t bother him, I’ll just go and make a cup of coffee and stalk back to my room like I always did.

Dad always did say I wake up in sections, and coffee was the first step to waking my brain up.

I turned the corner and stalked out towards the living room and kitchen, still half asleep.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty” I heard my dad say. I could hear the grin in his voice.

“morning” I yawned out.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

I heard a chuckle and turned towards the kitchen to answer him.

Upon turning, I realized that it wasn’t a conference call via Skype like I thought it had been. Sitting at the bar in the kitchen was of course, my dad. But it wasn’t him that made me freeze up. It was the three other people sitting there that made me go into shock. Sitting there at the bar was none other than Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, and Slash himself. They were all sitting facing the hallway to the rooms, holding cups of coffee in their hands.

I stood there, frozen in place. What. The. Fuck. Why are three Guns ‘N Roses members sitting IN MY FUCKING HOTEL SUITE. What the fuck. Am I dreaming? Did someone drug me? What?  
I ran a hand through my hair and blinked a few times, processing all this.

“I-I slept fine” I managed to squeak out. Yes, _squeak._

“Well, guys. This is my daughter (Y/N). She’s obviously not a morning person” he said.

I heard the guys chuckle, and I looked over and locked eyes with Duff, who gave me a warm smile. Axl and Slash were both chuckling and smiling.

My brain finally started working again, and my feet seemed to regain feeling and motor skills. I walked over to them.

All three of them stood up. Duff held out his hand. I tentatively reached mine out and shook it. Slash held his hand out and I shook it as well. Both Duff and Slash had very firm grips, and their hands were rough and calloused, but at the same time soft. I turned to Axl, and held my hand out to shake his. He lightly took my hand and brought it up to his lips, giving it a soft kiss. My heart stopped and I felt butterflies in my stomach. Is this the same Axl Rose that started the riot in St. Louis and dove into crowds to beat up other guys? When did he become such a gentleman?

I could tell I was blushing, and I couldn’t help but smile. It was then that I came to a realization that almost mortified me. I was standing in front of three of the most famous guys on earth in basically my bra and underwear. Oh. My. Fucking. God.

“Man, you have to be all fancy” Duff complained.

Axl turned to look at him. “Shut up, McKagan, you’re just jealous that you didn’t think of it.”

“I am not!” Duff retorted.

I couldn’t help but smile. Nope, these were still the same guys that I’ve watched countless videos of from the 80’s and 90’s. Still picking on each other.

“You are too!” Axl argued jokingly.

“Alright, girls. Calm down” Slash chimed in.

“Fuck off, Slash!” Both Duff and Axl barked at the same time.

“Don’t curse in front of the lady” Slash scolded, smiling at me. I smiled back and turned even more red.

I turned and walked over to the coffee maker and poured myself a cup of coffee.

“I don’t give a shit if you curse.” I said, taking a sip of coffee.

“Holy shit, she speaks!” Duff exclaimed.

Slash smacked Duff on the arm, and Duff smacked him back. That lead to them having an all-out slap fight.

One of them flung their arm out and almost smacked my coffee. I luckily moved out of the way just in time.

“Hey! No fighting while I’m holding hot liquid!” I exclaimed, feeling a bit more comfortable with this awkward situation.

Axl looked over and smiled. “I’ve known these guys for 30 years. That’s not gonna get them to stop.”

I took that as a challenge. I sat my coffee cup down and walked over to Duff and Slash, who were now trying to push one another off their respective seats. I walked over and stepped in between them. One of them swung their arm just as I stepped in and accidentally smacked me on the arm. It just so happened to be Slash.

As soon as his hand impacted with my arm, both of them froze. The both looked mortified that they had just hit a manager’s daughter. I felt my arm tingling, but not just because of being hit. I just got smacked by Slash; and I kinda liked it.

They both lowered their hands and turned back to the bar like ashamed toddlers. I smiled, proud that I had gotten them to stop with such ease.

“Are you done?” I asked.

“Yes” they both replied, although they were smiling.

“Good” I said, and I walked back over and picked up my coffee.

I looked up and saw both Axl and Dad staring at me, in shock.

“What?” I asked.

“I have never been able to do that in all the time I’ve known them” Axl said, surprised.

“That’s cuz we like her” Duff said.

Axl looked at him and teasingly flicked him off.

I shrugged. “I’m likable as fuck” I said, taking another sip of my coffee.

They all chuckled at that. Oh my God, I just made Guns ‘N Roses members laugh. Holy shit.

“Well, I’m gonna go get a shower.” I told dad, sitting my cup of coffee down on the counter. I rounded the bar and walked out of the kitchen. I heard Axl and my dad start talking again, but I felt eyes on my back. I glanced back and saw Duff watching me walk away. He had a teasing smirk on his face, and when I met his eyes, he winked at me. I blushed and gave a small smile. I turned back around and tried to calmly make my way back to my room.

“I like her” I heard Axl say. “She’s got spunk”

I heard dad laugh. “Yeah, she’s a carbon copy of her mother. Snarky, sarcastic, and takes no bullshit” he said.

I smirked at that as I rounded the corner to my room. As soon as I was out of view, I ran into my room on my tiptoes and quickly shut the door.

Duff winked at me. Holy shit. I felt so attracted to all of them, what the hell is going on? How is this real?

I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face as I went into the bathroom and stripped down and started the shower.

Boy, this is going to be an adventure.


	4. Chapter 4

I got out of the shower and started to towel dry my hair. It was no use trying to use a blowdryer since my hair is uncontrollable as is. Using a hair dryer would make me look even more like Slash. Not that I mind that.

“(Y/N)!” I heard my dad call.

“Yeah?” I yelled back.

“We’re gonna have to leave soon, we have to go make sure everything is set for tonight’s show.” He said.

“Okay, give me about 10 minutes!” I yelled back.

Well, looks like blow drying will have to do. I quickly blow dried my hair and applied dark lipstick, eyeliner and a little concealer. I slipped on some high waisted black jeans, dark red heel boots and a dark long sleeved shirt. I grabbed my purse and walked out of my room and into the living area. 

Dad and the guys had moved into the living room, as it was probably a lot more comfortable on those couches than sitting on those hard barstools in the kitchen. As soon as I walked out, the all stood up.

“Finally, you’re ready!” dad exclaimed in fake exasperation.

I punched him lightly in the arm. “Shut up” I said, smiling.

He grabbed his bag and started heading to the door. Me and the Gunners (I thought of calling them that while I was in the shower) followed after my dad. Slash and Axl were in deep conversation with my dad, so Duff and I trailed behind. 

“You look really nice” Duff said, causing me to turn my head to look (up) at him.

I smiled and blushed. “Not as good as you.”

He chuckled at that. “I’ll take that as a compliment” he said, smiling.

We made our way down to the lobby and into a limo that was parked out front. There were a few dozen fans already outside the hotel, so we had to go out quickly and literally jump into the limo. Slash and Duff stopped for some photos and to sign a few things while dad got in the front and talked to the limo driver. Axl opened the door to the limo and made an “after you” gesture, to which I thanked him and got inside. 

I had never actually been in a limo before, but it was pretty cool. It was lined with comfortable seats all around and little fairy lights. Other than that, it was plain and simple. I claimed a seat on one of the sides and Axl sat across from me on the other side of the limo. 

I looked around the inside of the limo and the screaming fans outside the limo in awe, and my gaze worked its way around me until I met Axl’s gaze. He had taken his sunglasses off and hung them from his shirt. I guess he only wore them out in public. He gave me a warm smile.

“Not used to all these fans, huh?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Not really”

“This is nothing. I’m surprised at how few in number they are.” He said.

“Maybe they haven’t figured out where you’re staying yet.” I offered.

“Well, they’ll sure know now. I just hope they won’t bother you and your dad too much.” He said.

I shrugged. “I can live with it. They don’t know who I am, I’m not really important enough to have fans and reporters swarming me” I said jokingly.

“Don’t say that. You’re important enough. If they know you hang out with us, they’ll want to know everything you know. They’ll even go as far as to show up at your hotel room” he said.

That made me raise my eyebrows. “I’d like to see them try.” I said threateningly.

Axl chuckled at that. “You’re something else, I’ll tell you that.” 

I smiled at that. Slash and Duff entered the limo and Duff sat beside Axl while Slash climbed over and plopped down right next to me.

The driver turned around to us. “There’s drinks in the little cooler if you guys want some.” He offered. He turned back around and pulled away from the hotel, him and dad returning to their conversation.

Drinks? You don’t have to tell me twice. I reached over and opened the cooler to find a few sodas, but mostly alcohol. I spotted a beer and quickly grabbed it. Dad never had a problem with me drinking, as long as I didn’t get caught by the authorites. I popped it open and took a swig. I swallowed and looked over to see all three of the Gunners staring at me in amusement.

“What?” I asked.

“I’ve never seen a young girl be so eager to drink a beer” Slash mentioned. 

I smiled. “where are my manners? Would you like one?” I asked.

Slash chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll take one.”

“Me too” Axl said.

I handed them both one. I grabbed one of the cans of Red Bull I saw in there and handed it over to Duff.

He looked surprised, but took it. He looked at me questioningly. “How did you-?” he started.

“I read that you were over 20 years sober. I figured you’d want at least some kind of buzz. What’s better than one from an energy drink?” I explained.  
He smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Then a thought hit me. “Are you bothered by people drinking around you? Cuz if you are I can get a soda or something” I offered.

He shook his head. “You’re fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it. I’ve got my Red Bull” he said smiling.

I nodded in understanding. Holy shit. Duff just called me sweetheart. Aaaahhhhh!!! 

I tried to get my pulse under control, and I could feel my cheeks heating up. The ride to the venue took a while, as the streets were very busy at this time of morning. Most of the ride was spent with the guys talking to one another about the show and setlist while I silently sat there and listened while occasionally sipping my beer. My shyness had returned and I spent the ride playing on my phone. 

After about half an hour, dad turned back to us. “The place is just up ahead, but your dressing rooms are on different areas, so we’re gonna drop Axl and Duff off first, and then Slash. I’m going to be with the stage crew” he explained. 

The guys nodded and said that sounded good. Dad looked at me. “It’s up to you where you want to go. It’ll be quite a while until the show, so if you want to walk around town or hang out at the stage with me you can. But if you don’t want to, you can find somewhere else to hang out. Maybe explore the venue?” he suggested.   
I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me.”

“She can hang out with me until the show” I heard from beside me. I turned and saw Slash giving me a small friendly smile. “That is, only if she wants to.”

I looked at Slash, then back to my dad.

“It’s up to you” he told me. 

“Sure” I said, blushing and looking back at Slash.

“I just don’t want you to get bored, and checking all the equipment tends to take a while and be very unamusing.” Dad told me.

“Don’t worry” Slash said, putting his arm around my shoulders. “I’ll make sure she stays out of trouble” he said, chuckling.

Dad gave a small laugh. “Yeah, good luck with that” he said teasingly.

“Hey!” I gave him a fake glare. 

“You and I both know that it’s true” he said.

I surrendered and agreed with him. It was hard to focus with Slash’s arm still around my shoulders. He hadn’t moved it like I expected him to, so it was still resting there while my dad and I were bickering. Usually I would have hand better comebacks, but all I could focus on was the feeling of Slash’s skin against the back of my neck. I can’t believe a famous Rockstar has his arm around me. Oh my god. Okay, breathe, (Y/N), breathe. I glanced down at Slash’s hand and saw that he had two large rings on his pointer and middle finger. One was a skull and the other was a Frankenstein ring. 

The driver slowed down and drove past a large arena. I stared out the window in awe. It was huge! We drove around the side and to a back section that was a short walk away from the stadium. The driver pulled to a back door, and put the limo in park. 

Dad turned around. “Axl and Duff, your dressing rooms are just inside here. (Y/N), I’m gonna get out here and head to the stage. I’ll see you sometime before the show.” He said.

I nodded at him, careful not to jostle around too much, as Slash still had his arm resting around my shoulders. It was almost like he had forgotten that he put it there and just left it there. Or he was leaving it there on purpose. Who knows? I don’t. 

Dad got out, and Duff and Axl slid to get out. 

“See ya tonight!” Duff said.

“See ya tonight” I responded. Axl just gave me a small smile. Hmm, a man of few words. Interesting.

They shut the door and the driver started driving again. From what I understood, Slash’s dressing room was a little ways away on the other side of the building. According to my dad, the building is sort of confusing from the inside, so the easiest way to get to his dressing room was by just going around to the other side.   
Apparently, while talking to dad and the other guys about tonight and where I would hang out, I had absentmindedly leaned a little more into Slash. My head was now resting back on his shoulder and bicep. I felt Slash shift and looked up at him.

He gave me a small smile. “You tired already?” he asked.

I gave a shy smile. “A little, I’m not really a morning person.”

He chuckled. “Me either.”

The driver slowed down and came to a stop by another door. There was a guy standing by the door who looked like he might be security. Slash scooted over and opened the door and got out. I scooted over as well, and was surprised to look up and see Slash holding his hand out to me. I shyly took it and he helped me out of the limo. He shut the door and the security guy opened the door for Slash, but looked at me suspiciously. 

Slash saw him glance at me. “She’s our manager’s daughter, it’s alright. She hasn’t gotten her badge yet” he explained.

The security guard instantly understood, and gave me a warm smile. He held the door open and Slash and I walked through. The hallways were dim, but it was light enough that we could make out little pieces of paper telling us where to go. We followed those papers and came to a door that had Slash’s name on it. Slash opened the door and motioned for me to go in before him. I hesitantly walked in. 

A/N: sorry for the kinda crappy ending, college is getting busy but I’ll try to update as often as possible, as I know it sucks to be into a story and not get regular updates. Hopefully I can update at least once a week, but at the moment it might be up to two weeks in between updates since I am a full time college student with a part time job. Keep those comments and that feedback coming!


	5. Chapter 5

The first thing I saw was a large sitting area that included two large sectional couches and a few comfy-looking chairs. Off to one side was a mini snack bar with a small variety of snacks and a small fridge next to it. To the other side was a door that I assumed led to a bathroom, and the entire room was dimly lit with grey and black striped walls. I felt like I had stepped into a room from a Tim Burton movie. A small chandelier hung in the center of the room. _Wow, Japan must go all out when it comes to interior decoration._

I was so enthralled by the room that I jumped when I heard the door shut. I quickly turned my body and saw Slash chuckle.

“You’re pretty jumpy, aren’t you?” he said teasingly.

I blushed lightly. “Yeah, I get lost in my thoughts a lot”.

Slash looked around. “This is nicer than I expected.”

“You were expecting something less?” I asked questioningly.

He shrugged. “It’s just weird to think about how the dressing rooms looked when we first started out as a band compared to now.” He pondered.

“What were they like?” I asked.

“They definitely weren’t furnished as well as this” he stated. “Usually we all shared a room about a fourth of this size. It was more like the size of that bathroom” he said, motioning to the bathroom door.

I raised my eyebrows. “All five of you fit in a room that tiny?” I asked, astonished.

He laughed. “You seem surprised.”

I shrugged. “Well, you’re all relatively large guys.” I said. “I mean, not that you were fat then. Or now!” I added, but it sounded better in my head. Now I was just rambling. _I seem to be good at that._ “You guys are just tall and…with instruments and…” I slowly quieted and decided to stop digging my grave deeper.

Slash seemed very amused, watching me struggle to collect my thoughts and form words.

“Sorry, I just… I’m awkward around people, especially famous people and my social anxiety just…. comes out.” I said as coherently as possible.

Slash walked over to me and put his hands lightly on my biceps. “Hey, calm down. You’re fine.” He said, smiling. “Don’t feel intimidated by me or anything. And you’re right, it was a pretty tight squeeze, but we managed to make it work without murdering each other or falling over our instruments. Although Duff did tend to do that quite often.” He said, as an afterthought.

I let out the breath I was holding with a small chuckle. “Well, he is like 6’3” so that’s understandable.” I said smiling.

Slash let out a laugh that warmed my insides and sent butterflies through my entire core. _God, I need to make him laugh more often if it’s gonna sound that sexy._

“Yeah, he was a little clumsy.” Slash said, turning to walk over and open the fridge to grab a soda. “You want one?” he called over his shoulder.

“Sure” I said, taking a few deep breaths and making my way over to sit on the couch. Slash walked over to me and handed me a Mountain Dew can.

“Thanks” I said quietly with a shy smile. He plopped himself down on the couch and sat his soda on the coffee table. He looked over at me, observing the fact that I had chosen to sit at the very end of the couch.

“I don’t bite, you can sit closer” he said, a smile in his voice.

My cheeks flushed and slowly scooted toward the center of the couch, but not quite in the center so that each of us could have about half the couch. I opened my soda and took a sip, setting it down next to his on the coffee table.

“So” Slash said, causing me to look at him. “Tell me a little about yourself”

My blood pressure shot up. _He wants to get to know you? Don’t be weird, Don’t. Be. Awkward._ “Oh… um…..well, I just finished high school” I started. _Smooth (Y/N), really smooth. Like he cares about your high school classes._

“Really? You’re that young?” he asked, a bit surprised.

I looked at him questioningly. “How old do you think I am?” I asked, curious.

“I was going to guess mid-twenties, but it appears I’m off by a few years.” He said, amused.

I smiled. “I have been told I look and act older than I am. I’m 18.” I said.

“Isn’t it a little early for you to have finished your senior year?” Slash pondered.

“Well, my school has this option where you can choose to go the entire senior year or just one semester. But only if your grades are good and you’ve earned enough credits. I finished about a week or two ago.” I explained.

Slash nodded in understanding. “Hmm, wish we had that when I went to school.” He said smiling.

I smiled back. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure” he answered.

“Why do you wear sunglasses all the time?” I asked. _Wow, that sounded A LOT better in my head too. Now I just sound nosey._

He chuckled. “I don’t really know. It was something a did when I was younger and it kind of became my trademark so I just keep doing it. That, and I’m a little shy when it comes to interviews and paparazzi” he explained.

“I wouldn’t have taken you for the shy type” I said.

“Yeah, that’s why my hair was always in my face. I kinda hide behind it.” he said.

I smiled. “I can’t say I even know what you look like without them on. I might not even recognize you” I said, teasingly.

“Well, it is pretty dark in here already.” He said. “I suppose I don’t really need them”. He reached up and removed his sunglasses and hooked them onto his shirt just like Axl had in the limo. _Must be something they have in common._

My breath caught in my throat. I hadn’t really been implying that he take them off. I’d never directly ask him that, if it gave him comfort to have them on. That would be like him asking me to get on stage with them and do a solo in front of thousands of people. But I can’t say that I’m complaining about seeing him with them off.

I recollected myself, hoping that my awe wasn’t as apparent on my face as it was in my head.

“Still recognize me?” he asked jokingly.

I nodded, giving a small smile. Words seemed to be failing me at the moment. Why on earth would he cover himself up with those sunglasses? His eyes are beautiful! They smile when his mouth smiles, I can’t imagine hiding them from the world.

I noticed movement and that pulled me out of my thoughts. Slash had shifted and was looking at me with a small, questioning smile. _Shit. You were staring, (Y,N). You are probably freaking him out, stop it!_

I quickly broke out of my daze. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare” I said, blushing and avoiding his gaze. A little lose thread on the couch cushion seemed very interesting at the moment.

“Don’t be” I heard Slash say.

I looked up, and for some reason, looking into his eyes made me feel like I had to explain myself. “It’s just…I’m so used to seeing you with sunglasses that I almost forgot that your eyes were back there.” _That sounded really dumb._ “I like the sunglasses but I think you should consider going without them occasionally. I like your eyes, you should show them more.” I elaborated.

Slash gave a small smile and looked down quickly. _Is he blushing?_ He looked back up to me. “I could say the same about you”.

That caught me off guard. “My eyes? They’re not pretty, they’re average. Nothing special” I said.

Slash shook his head. “You have to know that’s not true. You’re a very pretty woman. And let’s not forget that I mistook you for a 25-year-old.” He said, chuckling.

“There’s not much about me that’s extraordinary” I admitted. “Physically, anyway.”

“Again, not true.” Slash said. “You’ve got beautiful eyes, you’ve got the most badass Rockstar hair I’ve seen and you’re tall and slender. You should be a model.”

I had long since gone back to observing the incredibly fascinating thread on the cushion, but looked up quickly when he made the comment about modeling. “Really?” I asked, apprehensive.

He nodded and smiled. “Yeah, you could totally pull it off.”

I blushed and gave a small quiet laugh. “Thank you”.

He seemed amused that he had made me blush. “You’re adorable when you blush” he teased.

I quickly hid my face behind my hands. “Stooppppp” I pleaded.

“No! If I’m not allowed to hide my face, you’re not allowed to hide your face either!” he said, playfully trying to pull my hands away from my face. I evaded his grasp and tried to hide my face again. He scooted over a grabbed both my hands and again tried to yank them away from my face. Again, I resisted and this resulted in me falling onto my back and ending up laying on the couch. I tried to use my knees and my feet to get him away but he hovered over me and kept my hands away from my face. I gave a huff of fake annoyance when I realized that he easily could overpower me and now my red face was on display.

“See, you’re cute” he said smiling and looking down at me.

I would have retorted but at that moment I realized that I enjoyed the view I was getting. Laying on my back looking up at Slash as he held my hands at either side of my head. I stared up at Slash, and he stared back down at me, both of us smiling. I noticed my heart rate picking up, and not just because of the small wrestling match we just had. I guess he could notice that my pulse had picked up, and he also seemed to notice the position we were in.

I noticed his expression change a little bit. Before I could interpret it, there was a loud resounding knock on the door that startled both of us. Slash looked to the door and then to me. _Shit, this doesn’t look good without context._ He sat up and let go of my wrists, but he did so in a way that seemed like he almost didn’t want to. I had to admit I kinda didn’t want him to either. I sat up and straightened myself out, trying to calm down my racing heart. Meanwhile, Slash got up and walked over to the door and opened it.

I heard him talk quietly with someone, and they handed him a guitar and left. He closed the door behind him. In his hand was one of his famous Les Paul guitars. I watched him come back and sit back down on the couch.

“Warming up already?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Not yet, but I do like to have one with me at all times in case I get bored or need to rehearse a certain part. I usually carry one in with me but I guess I was distracted by the beautiful girl that was accompanying me.” He said, smirking.

I could feel my entire body heating up and my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I gave a shy smile. I got up from my spot on the couch and started to make my way to the bathroom. “I’ll be back” I said.

“Okay” Slash replied, already picking out a few chords on his guitar.

I walked into the bathroom and closed the door and locked it. I walked over to the sink and leaned against it, breathing heavily.

_This is gonna be a looonnnggg tour._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY  
> FOR NOT UPDATING FOR SO LONG  
> COLLEGE FINALS ARE A BITCH  
> SO HERES AN EXTRA LONG CHAPTER FOR YA  
> DONT KILL ME PLZ  
> ~Becca xx  
> p.s sorry for any grammar/spelling errors

I stood in front of the mirror, panting as quietly as I could. This was the first time today that I was able to take a deep breath. Everything so far had been extremely hectic and I needed a moment to calm down. It’s not even lunch time and I’m already halfway across the world, in Japan, sitting in a dressing room with one of the most famous guitarists in the world. It was hard to comprehend.

I turned on the faucet and cupped my hands under the cold water. I lightly splashed some on my face and took a handtowel from the rack. I lightly dabbed my face dry, careful not to disturb any of my makeup. Right now, I just need to collect my thoughts and cool off.

_What the hell just happened back there? He acted like he didn’t want to pull away. To be completely honest, I didn’t really want him to pull away. But doesn’t he have a girlfriend or a wife or something? And why would he be interested in a girl who’s young enough to be his daughter? I’m just average, nothing special. What is going on?_

These questions were swirling around and around in my head while I stared at my own reflection. He even called me beautiful. What is happening. _What have I gotten myself into?_ I slowly peeled off my long-sleeved shirt, which left me in a short sleeved camisole type shirt. I tied my long-sleeved shirt around my waist. _Is it getting hotter in here, or is it just me? Probably just me._

I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. I think I’m ready to go back out there. Maybe? Either way, I can’t hide out in the bathroom until showtime. That’s at least another 8 hours away, and they still have to do soundcheck. I turned and opened the bathroom door and walked back out.

Slash was still where he was when I had left to go to the bathroom. He was still on the couch, but he had sprawled out and was now laying on the couch with his guitar laying on top of him. He was propped up on a throw pillow and was strumming lazily away at his guitar. He looked up when I re-entered the room.

“I’m gonna go explore the venue a little bit. You can join me if you want” I offered to him.

He shook his head. “Nah, I better stay here. I don’t know when we’re gonna do soundcheck, and if they need to find me, it’ll be easier to come here than run all over the venue trying to hunt me down. But I appreciate the offer.”

I smiled. “Sure. See you later, I guess”. I turned and headed over to the door and opened it.

“have fun. Don’t get lost!” Slash called after me.

I chuckled. “I’ll try not to!” I called back as I stepped out and closed the door behind me. I didn’t really have anywhere specific in mind, I just needed to get a breath of fresh air and try again to collect myself. I looked left and then right, trying to decide which way I wanted to go. I finally decided on going right and headed down the hallway. I made a few turns and hit a few dead ends, which would cause me to retrace my steps and try going a different way. I passed a fair number of empty or locked rooms, and some that were just closets.

 It was nice to be able to wonder around with only my thoughts as company. It was quieter than I expected, only the sound of my footsteps echoing as I walked down long empty hallways. Every once in a while, I would pass one of the sound guys, who would nod and smile. I would return their smile and keep walking.

I was eager to meet the other members of the band. I had heard them talking about a girl, I think her name is Melissa? And the name “Frank” was mentioned a few times. It’s weird that Izzy and Steven aren’t involved with this reunion, or at least as far as I’ve heard they’re not. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. Only time will tell.

As I was thinking about the new band lineup, I absentmindedly turned another corner, letting my feet take me wherever they wanted to go.

Apparently, they wanted to make me walk into something, for as soon as I turned the corner, I collided with something very solid that let out an “oof”. This shook me from my thoughts as I slightly lost my balance before two arms caught me. I was about to start rapidly apologizing for not paying attention when I looked up and saw that who I had run into was none other than Axl.

“Sorry, didn’t see ya there.” He said.

“No, it was my fault, I was lost in thought… I should’ve been watching where I was going” I quickly explained while regaining my balance.

“Don’t worry about it, hon.” He said sweetly.

“Thanks for…catching me” I said awkwardly.

Axl chuckled. “Not a problem. I should’ve seen ya. But it is rather dark in these hallways, isn’t it?” he said.

“Yeah, it is” I agreed. I noticed that his arms were will holding me up, even though I had already clearly regained my balance.

“I hope I didn’t scare you too bad” he said.

“No, I’m fine” I said.

“You sure?” he asked. He rubbed his hands up and down my biceps. “You have goose pimples, so either you’re startled or just really cold. Then again, it is January, so that would make sense.” He said, smiling.

I gave an embarrassed chuckle. “Yeah, it is a little chilly in here” I said. To be honest, I was a bit cold, but the goosebumps were mainly from the fact that Axl’s hands were in contact with my skin. He was giving me a warm smile, and I couldn’t help but admire his face. Yes, he had aged, but he still had the same smile that seemed to light up his entire face. And he still had those incredibly adorable cheekbones that always seemed to make my heart melt.

I noticed Axl’s hands leave my biceps, which brought me back to reality. I have to be honest, I was kinda disappointed, as his hands were pretty warm. But I was only disappointed for a few seconds before I felt a coat being draped over my shoulders. I refocused to see that Axl had taken his leather jacket off and draped it over my shoulders while I was somewhat zoned out. I felt instant warmth envelope me, and I gave a small shudder from the change in temperature. I looked back up to see Axl smiling at me.

“Thanks” I said shyly. “But aren’t you cold?”

He waved my question off. “Nah, not really. I can stand it, but I didn’t wanna stand here in my nice warm jacket while a lovely young lady was freezing her ass off.” He said.

I chuckled. “Ever the gentleman, Mr. Rose” I said quietly.

He chuckled. “Please, call me Axl.”

I nodded. “Okay…Axl” I said, testing it out.

He smiled in approval. “Where were you off to, if I may ask?”

I shrugged. “Nowhere in particular. Just sorta wondering around.”

“Did Slash bore you that much?” he teased.

I shook my head. “No, just felt like I needed to stretch my legs and get some fresh air.” I said. Again, not really my real reason for leaving the room. I just couldn’t trust myself in there with Slash. I would either say or do something that might not be considered innocent, and that included my thoughts. Boy, were my thoughts anything but innocent. But Slash didn’t need to know that. And neither did Axl.

“Understandable” Axl admitted.

“What about you?” I asked.

“I was just talking to some of the sound guys about tonight. I was heading back to my dressing room when I just about ran you over” he said, jokingly.

I let out a small laugh.

“If you want, you can come hang out with me for a while. I promise I’m more fun that Slash.” He said, giving me a big smile.

 _Axl Rose is inviting me back to his dressing room?_ If it had been the 80’s, I would have assumed it was only for one reason. But it’s not. And he seems to have changed; mellowed out some might say. Matured a little.

I gave a shy smile. “Sure” I breathed out.

He seemed happy with my answer. He lead me down a few hallways that I had already explored and approached a door with his name on it. He opened it and held the door open for me to walk in, then followed behind me and shut the door.

His dressing room was similar to Slash’s. Same overall setup and color scheme, but his seemed more like an apartment than a dressing room. It had a small kitchenette and a large entertainment set up. They also seemed to have decorated especially for him, as there were pictures and posters of the original band lineup hanging all around the room.

I made my way over to one in particular that had always been my favorite. It was one of Slash and Axl on stage performing, both shirtless and sweaty with their hair plastered to their skin. They were both incredibly into the performance, and the photo was the definition of an action shot. The photographer had captured an incredible picture. I stood there admiring it, and I noticed Axl step up beside me.

“This has always been one of my favorite shots of you guys” I mentioned.

Axl chuckled. “Seeing as you’re a young girl, I can understand why.” He joked.

I quickly looked at him and blushed when I understood what he was implying. “I mean…you two are just so into it..it’s like you can see your souls coming through the music. It’s not for the reason that you think…well maybe kinda….but not entirely.” I managed to stutter out.

Axl laughed at my awkwardness. “I get what you’re saying, it’s fine.” He said, smiling. “I don’t blame you for thinking that, we did look a lot better in our younger days. Slash and Duff lucked out and aged pretty well.”

I looked at him astonished. “What about you?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Don’t know if you’ve looked at me, but age hasn’t been as kind to me as it was to McKagan and Slash.”

“That’s not true” I argued.

He look at me, intrigued. “How so?”

“Well” I started, “Your vocals are still as strong as ever from the recent songs I’ve heard, and you’ve still got the whole ‘bad boy, don’t fuck with me’ thing going on.” I explained.

He laughed at that remark. “I appreciate that, but face it; Duff is a lot more in shape than I am and Slash doesn’t even look like aged really touched him at all” he said.

“But Duff works out almost everyday, he has a really intense personal trainer from what I’ve read in his books and stuff.” I reasoned.

“I never have been one to work out. That’s probably why I got fat. That and my metabolism isn’t as fast as it once was.” Axl said.

_Man, why won’t he stop putting himself down? Does he really think that low of himself?_

“You are not fat” I stated.

“Yeah, I am” he argued.

I turned my body to face him full on and looked him dead in the eye, something I didn’t think I had the balls to do.

“No. You’re not” I said firmly.

“Have you seen Duff…?” he started.

I cut him off. “Stop comparing yourself to Duff. He’s tall and skinny, he always has been and probably always will be. It’s just how he is. You are how you are. You shouldn’t be ashamed of that. So what if you don’t look like that anymore?” I said, motioning to the young, shirtless Axl in the picture. “People should understand that you won’t always look like that. If they expect you to, they’re kidding themselves and they know nothing of living and aging.” I explained.

Axl stood there, looking a little stunned. “I didn’t think you were able to talk that much. You’re usually so quiet.” He mentioned.

I smiled. “I’m serious, though.” I said. “I mean it”.

He smiled and lightly pulled me in for a small, one-armed hug. “You’re a very sweet girl, thank you.” He said.

I hugged him back. “Of course.” I said. I inhaled and caught the scent of the cologne he was wearing, and holy shit, did it smell _good._ He pulled away too soon for my liking, and I reluctantly let go.

“If it means anything, _I_ think you’re still good looking” I mentioned. _Where did this courage come from? Maybe it was that beer I had on the way here?_

He smiled and a light pink tint made its way to his cheekbones. “I think you are as well” he mentioned, sticking his hands in his front jeans pockets.

Now it was my turn to blush. “Thank you” I said, modestly, looking down at my feet.

“My pleasure” he responded, making my heartrate speed up even more.

We stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, neither of us knowing how to break the silence. We had just both confessed to finding the other attractive, the same thing that had happened between me and Slash. _What the hell is going on? How are all of these guys finding me attractive? I’ve never gotten so much as eye contact from any guy my age, why would they think I’m pretty if even guys my age don’t say anything?_

“I remember when that picture was taken” Axl spoke up, breaking the silence.

“You do?” I asked.

“Yeah, I remember that show. It was when we were doing soundcheck at Rock in Rio in ‘91” he answered.

“You weren’t even performing yet?” I questioned.

He snickered. “nah, just warming up. But even during rehearsal Slash would get into the music. I would too.”

“That’s awesome. It shows that you chose the right path in life” I mentioned.

“Yeah, I guess so.” He responded. “What about you?”

“What?” I asked, confused.

“What do you want to do with your life?” he asked me.

I furrowed my brow. “To be honest, I have no fucking clue” I answered.

That remark made Axl laugh. Not just a little chuckle, but a full-on laugh. It sounded just the same as it did when they were younger. _Yet another thing that hadn’t changed about him._

“That’s perfectly okay. You’re young, you’ve still got time to figure it out.” He said.

“Not really, I’ve got to start looking at colleges and figuring out my major and minor and what kinda job I want and….ugh.” I responded, thinking about how much work that would be.

He smiled. “Don’t be in a hurry to grow up. A lot of people wait to go to college. Give yourself a year or two as a sort of grace period, so to speak. Take your time and figure out what you love to do, then build your life around it.” he explained.

I smiled. “That’s really good advice. I’ll think about it” I told him.

He nodded. “Have you ever taken those tests that tell you what kind of job you would be suited for? Those personality tests or whatever?” he asked me.

I shook my head. “not really, but I have had people suggest to me what they think I would be good at” I responded.

“What did they say?” he asked.

My mind automatically reverted to what Slash had told me earlier, about being a model. “Well, the most recent suggestion I got was to be a model” I answered.

Axl nodded. He seem genuinely interested in this conversation, like he really cared about my future. “You’ve definitely got the body for it. You’re tall and you’ve got long legs and you’re thin.”

I blushed and sat down in a nearby armchair. “I highly doubt that anyone would hire me as a model.”

“And why do you think that?” Axl asked, sitting down in a chair beside mine.

“I’m not pretty enough. I don’t have the pouty lips or the smokey eyes or anything” I answered.

Axl shook his head. “Not all models have that. Haven’t you seen the ones that have a gap between their front teeth? They’re pretty and they aren’t the stereotypical model” he stated. “I once had a girlfriend who was a model. You’ve probably heard of her. Erin Everly?” he asked me.

I nodded. “didn’t you guys get married?” I asked.

He nodded. “For a very short time, yes. Anyway, _she_ was a model, but she didn’t have pouty lips or smokey eyes. At least, not in my opinion. She was still a beautiful woman and made it in the modeling business.” He explained. “My point is, you don’t have to look like everyone else in order to get people to like you. Modeling agencies would jump at the chance to take pictures of you. You’re pretty, smart, and you seem like you take no shit.”

I smiled at his last comment. “That’s true, I don’t take shit.”

He smiled. “Then you’re halfway to becoming a model already. You don’t let people tell you what to do. That means that you know that what you’re doing is right and _that_ self-confidence is the first step to making it in the world of modeling. You can’t be submissive when it comes to modeling. You have to know your limits and refuse to cross them.” He said.

I blushed lightly at his word choice. Modeling was definitely not the first thing that came to mind when the word _submissive_ is used. Not that I’m submissive. Or am I? Hell if I know.

“You seem like you know a lot about models” I observed.

He chuckled. “I’ve dated quite a few of them. I’ve seen first-hand girls who get pushed around by their agents. They tell these already skinny girls to lose 10, 15, even 20 pounds and they know that they’ll listen to them since they’re desperate to be famous. It’s disgusting, really. These girls will starve themselves, puke, go on 300 calorie per day diets, work out until they pass out. It’s insane. And it’s definitely not something a healthy person should do.” He explained.

My face twisted into disgust. I had no idea modelling was that vicious or painful. “I’d never agree to that.” I declared.

“Yeah, I’ve heard lots of girls say that. Erin said the same thing, yet I’d come home and learn that she hadn’t eaten all day because ‘she has a photoshoot tomorrow and wants her stomach to look flat and toned’. It’s ridiculous.” Axl said.

“I’m not so sure I’d want to be a model” I mentioned.

He smiled. “It’s not always like that. It’s not all bad. It really depends on the model and the agent. Some agents are the complete opposite and they recommend healthy diets and workouts that don’t nearly kill their clients and they don’t pressure them to stay a certain weight.”

My expression lightened a little bit. “That’s a relief” I said.

“I think you should try it. You won’t know until you’ve had a taste of it. Maybe you’ll love it and decide to persue it” he offered.

“And what if I don’t love it?” I questioned. “What then?”

He shrugged. “Then you can check it off your list. You tried it, you didn’t like it, you move on.”

I smiled at him. “You would have made a great father” I mentioned.

He looked at me, sort of surprised. “Really? How so?”

“Well, you know just how to make someone feel better and give them good advice.” I answered.

He smiled. “I wish I could have been a father”

“You still could” I mentioned. _Did I just say that?_

He let out a laugh. “No, I’m too old for that. That time has been long gone.” He said. “Who would want to have a kid with me at this age?” he joked.

I shrugged, smiling. “You’d be surprised” I answered before I could stop myself. _Shit, why did I say that? That implies stuff that I shouldn’t be implying._ I quickly broke eye contact after saying that and stared at the floor, continuing to mentally scold myself for that comment.

I chanced a look back up and met Axl’s smirking eyes. It almost seemed like he realized what I was  implying, but decided to act like he didn’t really notice it. When he noticed me looking at him, his expression shifted back to his friendly one, acting like I hadn’t just implied that I would volunteer as tribute for the conversation we just had.

“There’s a few sandwiches in the fridge. You want one? It is 1:30” he asked me.

I glanced at a clock on the wall. Wow, had it really been that long that long since we’d been here? I hadn’t noticed that I was hungry until he said something. “Yeah, sure” I said.

He got up and walked over to the fridge. I sat there for a minute while he went to the kitchen. _Did I really mean what I implied? Would I have a kid with him? He’s as old as my dad! But he’s really sweet and caring, it would really be a shame if those genes didn’t get passed on to a son or daughter. And there’s still time for him to be a dad! It’s not like fertility would be an issue, especially for someone my age-STOP IT._

I was brought back to reality by hearing my name being called. I quickly looked up to see Axl standing in the kitchen, smirking at me again. “Sorry, what?” I asked, embarrassed.

“I asked if you take anything on your sandwich. Mustard, mayonnaise?” he repeated.

“Oh…um no just plain thanks” I answered, my cheeks still flushed. _If he knew what I was thinking about…_

“You wanna eat there or at the bar?” he asked, motioning to the little eat it kitchen bar he was standing next to.

“We can eat at the bar” I answered, standing up from my chair and discarding my long-sleeved shirt that was tied around my waist on the back of the chair. I made my way over to the bar, sitting down beside Axl. He sat the sandwiches down on the bar along with two bottles of water. I reached over to grab one of the water bottles, and in doing so, my shirt rode up over my stomach since it wasn’t long enough to begin with. I leaned back and opened up my bottle and took a drink from it. I closed my bottle and set it down, but felt a set of eyes on me. I looked over and Axl was looking at my stomach.

“What’s that?” he asked, motioning to my stomach.

I looked down and saw that my naval ring was visible. When I had found out it was them we’d be touring with, when we were back at the hotel, I had put in a different one after my shower. This one had a gun dangling from it with a rose wrapped around it. It seemed fitting for the occasion so I had put it in.

“Is that a gun with a rose wrapped around it?” he asked, smirking.

I smiled and nodded. “yeah, thought it seemed fitting.”

He smiled. “How long have you had that?” he asked.

“About six months” I answered.

“Does your dad know?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, he’s the one that paid for it. It was a gift”

“Oh, okay. I like it, it suits you” he said.

“Thanks. It hurt like a bitch to get it done though.” I answered.

Axl laughed. “Probably not as bad as my nipple piercing”

I made a face. “Yeah, I bet that one really hurt”

He nodded. “Yeah, didn’t feel good.”

I covered my boobs protectively. “I could never get that done!” I exclaimed, my imagined pain evident on my face.

He laughed again. “I think you could do it. But you’d definitely be cursing the piercer out.”

“I’d need to hold someone’s hand or something, or I might pass out” I warned.

“Did you ever think about getting it done?” he asked.

I nodded. “yeah, but I don’t know if my pain tolerance will allow me. It’s pretty high, but it might not be that high.”

“Well, if you would need any moral or physical support, I’d be happy to help” he offered.

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind” I answered, smiling.

We continued to eat and make small talk for another hour and a half. He really is an interesting person. He has a lot of experiences and it’s nice to sit down and talk to him casually instead of watching interviews of him. When it got to be around 3:30, a sound guy came to tell him that it was time for soundcheck. He thanks the guy and shut the door, returning to the bar.

“That was one of the sound mixers, I guess your dad is ready for us to do soundcheck.” He stated. “Are you gonna sit in on that?”

I nodded and stood up, grabbing my bottle of water in the process. “yeah, might as well.” I responded.

We cleaned up the bar and crossed the room to the door. He opened it and we walked out and headed in the direction of the stage. We arrived backstage where the sound guys were doing their thing, checking all the equipment. I looked around and spotted my dad, so I walked over to him

“Hey hon” dad said when he saw me approach.

“Hey” I replied.

“Did Slash keep you from getting bored?” he asked, while flipping a few switches and checking one of the cord connections for one of the amps.

I blushed, remembering what had happened between both me and Slash, and me and Axl. “Yeah” I said.

“That’s good” he replied. “Alright, we’re all set” he said to one of the sound guys. The guy nodded and walked over to another amp, I guess to check that one.

“Wanna help me round up the band so I can go over soundcheck with them?” he asked.

“Sure, who do you want me to get?” I asked.

“Go get the guys, I’ll get everyone else” he said, referring to me getting Axl, Duff, and Slash.

I nodded and turned around and looked for the three Gunners. I spotted Axl talking to a sound guy and Slash and Duff were having a conversation with each other. I took a deep breath. _Who do I approach first?_ More like ‘who do I feel the least awkward approaching?’ I decided I would get Slash and Duff first. I made my way over to them, and Slash looked over and smiled at me when he saw me approaching. I walked up to them and smiled.

“Hey, I was curious as to where you wondered off to. Didn’t get lost did you?” Slash teased me.

“No, I didn’t get lost.” I said, smiling. “My dad said he wanted me to round you guys up ‘cause he wants to talk to you about soundcheck.” I said.

“Sure, sounds like a plan” Duff said, smiling.

I hadn’t talked to or seen him since the ride to the venue, so I was very flustered when he spoke to me. I blushed and nodded. “Now I just have to get Axl”.

“No need” I heard from behind me. I turned around and Axl had made his way over to us. “Where are we going?”

“We’re wanted for a discussion about soundcheck” Slash told him.

Axl nodded, then looked at me. “Lead the way” he said, motioning to another part of the backstage area.

I nodded and started off in the direction my dad had walked. It was really weird to be backstage with three Guns’ members following me around. Can’t say I’m complaining though. Duff had fallen into sync walking beside me, and Slash and Axl were trailing behind.

“Damn, slow down you two” Axl complained. “Not all of us have strides as long as yours” he joked.

I hadn’t realized that I was indeed walking rather fast. Not to keep up with Duff though. We seemed to be walking comfortably at the same pace, while unintentionally leaving Slash and Axl in the dust behind us. I instantly slowed my pace, as did Duff.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize I was walking that fast” I mentioned.

I chanced a look at Duff and he turned his head and looked at me, giving me a big smile. I blushed and returned his smile.

We approached my dad, who was standing with four other people near the soundboard just off to the side of the stage. My dad looked over to us and motioned for us to join the group of people. I stood between Slash and one of the other guys that I didn’t know yet. He had dark hair that fell over his eyes, and he was wearing a button up shirt that was only done up halfway. He looked a lot like Izzy with the way his hair was and his style. He was handsome, and I couldn’t help but admire him.

“Okay, so for this tour you’ll be working pretty closely with me, seeing as I am going to be your manager. This is just a simple soundcheck, we’re just running a few songs to make sure all the settings are correct.” He explained. Everyone nodded their heads in understanding. Dad must have seen me looking around at all of the unfamiliar faces because he spoke up again.

“By the way, the young girl standing over there is my daughter, (Y/N). She’ll be with us for the entire tour. Just in case you were confused and wondering if she was a new band member.” He told them, jokingly. They all gave me a small smile, and the girl gave me a small wave. _I think I’m gonna like her_.

Dad clapped his hands. “Alright, let’s get out there and rehearse!” he said.

Everyone went to get their respective instruments and I walked to the edge of the stage, eager to hear how they sounded together after all these years. _This should be interesting._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

**Hello, lovely readers. I am so sorry for not updating in so long! Life has been crazy! just a quick disclaimer, I unfortunately do not own the guys or any of the songs they play, and I am also kind of changing and making stuff up to fit in with the story line. I really DON’T HAVE A CLUE HOW SOUND MIXERS AND WHATNOT WORK, JUST GO WITH IT OKAY? Oh, and I also mixed up the set list so that they play Rocket Queen towards the end of the concert, but a song or two before the encore. Thanks for all your love and support! Keep rating and reviewing and leave me comments! I love reading your reactions, and I really do appreciate any constructive criticism you have that will make this story better!**

**Kisses,**

**Becca xx**

I watched as everyone stepped out on stage. The guy with the unbuttoned shirt, Richard Fortus one of the stagehands had told me after the little huddle we had, had a guitar in his hands and made his way over to the same side of the stage as Duff. Slash took his place on his side, Melissa climbed up on the risers to an array of keyboards and soundboards next to the drum kit, which a guy climbed up as well. _That must be Frank_. Axl walked out to where they had a piano set up to check the tuning, and he grabbed a mic.

Dad walked up next to me, and I turned my head towards him when I noticed his presence. “We’re not gonna be running the songs, mainly just testing chords and settings on the amp and instruments. I’ll let the guys and Melissa decide if they feel they need to run any songs” he explained to me.

I nodded, a little disappointed that I wouldn’t get to hear them play through a few of the songs before the concert, but I was still excited to see what they sounded like.

Before I could respond to ask him if he thought they would need to run through any songs, my thoughts were cut off by sudden drumming and a chord being hit on the guitar. I jumped slightly and quickly looked towards the stage to see Frank warming up the drums and Slash striking a few chords on his Gibson. I heard another chord that clearly wasn’t coming from Slash, and I noticed Richard had joined in, as had Duff. They had all seemed to silently agree on a certain song, although I couldn’t really tell which song it was yet. But holy shit. They sounded amazing. I was in awe at the fact that I was watching a 30+ year old band get back together and play with _original members_.

Axl had started hitting some keys on the piano, and a guy standing alongside him would every once in a while motion to another guy offstage, who would slightly adjust something every so often. I stood there, motionless, watching them get in tune. Melissa was the first to decide that all of her equipment was in good shape, followed by Richard. Duff was talking to a guy, hitting a chord every so often to make sure he was able to switch keys without the amps having issues. Slash was doing little runs and warmup solos on his guitar. Axl then got up and grabbed the mic, proceeding to do the whole “check, 1,2” things before hitting a few notes. _Damn, his voice isn’t that rusty at all_. He sounded really good.

Dad had stalked off, as someone had called him over for help adjusting something on Duff’s side of the stage. I stood there, silently listening to Axl when a hand suddenly touched my shoulder. I jumped and turned to see it was Richard.

He let out a small chuckle. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare ya. I just wanted to welcome you on the tour and introduce myself. I’m Richard Fortus” he said warmly. _Wow, nice voice. I could listen to that all day._

I smiled and shook the hand that was outstretched to me. “(Y/N)” I said, shyly, my eyes flickering down to his very exposed and _very toned_ chest.

We dropped our hands, and I quickly looked back up to his face. “So, your dad’s the manager for this tour?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, he is.”

“Do you always go with him on tours?” Richard asked me.

I shook my head. “No, usually I’m busy with school, but now that I’m graduated, I figured ‘what the hell, might as well’” I said with a small shrug.

Richard laughed. “That’s awesome! I hope you have a lot of fun with us!” he said, enthusiastically.

I smiled at him. “Me too”.

I noticed Melissa heading our way, and gave her a small, shy smile.

“Hey, you’re not bothering the poor girl, are ya?” she teased Richard, throwing her arm around his shoulders.

“Me? Never!” Richard teased back.

“You better not, or I’ll have to kick your ass, Fortus.” she joked. She turned to me. “I’m Melissa Reese, keyboardist/soundmixer/audio DJ for GNR” she introduced herself.

“I’m (Y/N), my dad’s the manager for the tour.” I said.

She nodded. “He seems to know what he’s doing, I think he’ll be a great manager” she mentioned, smiling.

I nodded. “I think he will too. I love your hair, by the way”.

She grinned, tossing her blue hair over her shoulder. “Thanks, but yours is better. You look like a mini Slash!” she said, lightly tugging on one of my corkscrew curls.

I grinned, and we all fell into easy conversation, discussing what we were looking forward to with the tour. Eventually, I heard the drums and bass cease, and soon after vocals and guitar disappeared. _I guess they’re done with soundcheck. Must not have had to run any songs. Bummer, I really wanted to hear one._

“Well, I’m gonna head to my dressing room. Show starts in…” Melissa checked her watch. “… less than 2 hours, and I can hear people at the gates already” she said, detaching herself from the conversation we were in. “See ya in a couple hours!” she said, starting off backstage to the dressing rooms.

“See ya” Richard and I said simultaneously.

“Well, I guess I better go start getting ready too. I’ll see you before we go out in a few hours, okay?” he said warmly.

I nodded. “Have fun getting ready” I said, giving him a small wave.

He waved back, jogging off to head to his dressing room. I looked around, trying to see where everybody was. I hadn’t seen where the guys had gotten to, but I assume they all probably had headed back to their dressing rooms as well. I wondered around backstage, trying to locate dad. The amount of people back here is insane. And it doesn’t help that everyone is running around trying to get everything done as fast as possible before the gates open. What’s more is that the audience will be a standing venue, so it’ll be jam packed within the hour. I guess they want to get things done so they don’t have to deal with all those people.

I finally located dad a few feet away from me, talking to two of the guys I had seen adjusting the bass sound earlier. I walked over to him, standing beside him.

“We just need to make sure that it stays in tune during the entire performance. If that thing goes out in the middle, it’ll be damn near impossible to fix without bringing attention to it. And that’s the last thing we want to do” dad said with a look of worry on his face.

“We secured that setting as best we can for now, we don’t have time to do anything else. It’s either pray that it lasts the entire concert or take the entire pack apart, reassemble it and hope that we can get everything squared away.” one of the soundguys, Tyler, said.

“How long would that take?” Dad asked him.

“More time than we’ve got right now” the other sound guy, Evan, answered.

“Damn it” Dad muttered under his breath.

“Is everything alright?” I asked, confused and starting to feel the anxiety radiating off of them and into me.

“Kind of. One of the sound mixers for the bass isn’t completely connecting with the amplifiers, and the soundmixer is one that has to be connected to Duff’s hip on his belt so he can change the tone for a few of the songs.” He explained.

“We tried everything we could, right now it’s basically depending on whether the duck tape holds or not, we don’t have the time to properly fix it or go find another one. This one is a custom one of Duff’s that is the only brand he really likes” Evan, explained to me.

“Well, shit” I said.

“Glad we’re all on the same page” Dad mentioned, earning an anxious chuckle from me and both the sound guys.

I thought for a moment, my brow furrowing. “Show me where the problem is” I said.

The sound guys to the edge of the stage near the stairs up to the drumkit where I guess the problem was. They leaned down and Evan pointed to a small mixer pack set on the first step up to the drums. “That one right there. It plugs directly into Duff’s bass and wirelessly connects to one of the higher tech amps we were lucky to get. See how the cord that connects it to the bass won’t go into the sound mixer the entire way?”

I nodded, seeing that it, indeed, was sticking out a little too far for my liking.

“Well, the hole for it was somehow damaged during the flight over here. Duff knows about it, and said he can call up the guy who made it, who’s stationed here in Japan, but it’ll take a few days, maybe even a week to get it finished and to us. So, he said we’ll just have to use it until it doesn’t work, and then just find a lower quality one to use until we can get the replacements.” Evan explained, looking more anxious with each word that came out of his mouth.

“we’ll just have to hope it holds up, then” I said to him.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Dad glanced at his watch and his eyes widened. “We have to get backstage and do final checks on all the equipment. C’mon” he said, standing back up. We all followed suit, and that was the first time I got a look at the view. I walked up a few of the stairs and looked out.

Wow. The view is incredible. I felt so high up, it was a strange new feeling since I’ve never been up on an actual drumming platform on stage before. I turned and followed Dad and the sound guys down the stairs and back stage. At this point, all you could hear was chatter and footsteps of people running to and fro, making sure everything was in order.

I made my way through the throng of people, which took a decent amount of time, and made my way back to the hallways with the dressing rooms. I stood for a minute, trying to decide what I was going to do for another hour or so until showtime. I saw a shorter, much smaller adult girl carrying a bunch of water bottles, and it looked like she was struggling. I quickly ran over and took half of the bottles from her.

“Thanks” she said, relieved.

“No problem. Where are these going?” I asked her, adjusting my grip on the case of water bottles.

“To the stage, they’re for in between songs when the guys get all hot and sweaty and need a drink” she said, motioning with her head in the direction of the stage behind me. I nodded and proceeded to follow her to the stage. She entered a little tent like thing set up under where the drums were. I saw a bunch of other things, and I concluded that this must be where the guys come out from and disappear to in between sets. We quickly got to work setting water bottles down and then heading over to the other tent on the other side of the stage to do the same thing.

After we finished that, I decided to wonder around and poke through some of the supply closets. The whole situation with Duff’s sound mixer not being in perfect condition bothered me, probably a lot more than it should. What would he do if it cut out in the middle of a song? Hell, what if it cut out in the middle of a _solo_? I get second-hand embarrassment really easily, and even though this isn’t his first live performance and he probably has backup plans and can easily adjust, I don’t want him to have to worry about it while playing. I turned a corner and walked up to a door that said “Tech equipment” on it. I held my breath and jiggled the doorknob, and the door gave way and opened. _Thank God._ I turned on the light and looked around, seeing stacks and shelves full of equipment. I started looking around at each of the bins, each one labeled with what it contained. As my eyes scanned over the labels, one of the bins caught my eye. I took a few steps closer to it and saw that it had ‘sound mixer/audio’ written on it. I lifted the lid and all I could see was a mess of tangled cords and sound mixers. _What are the odds that a spare cord or audio box that is the exact same model as Duff’s is in here? Probably not in my favor._ The bin was huge, so there was no moving it without help. Problem is, everyone is busy, and a girl like me is strong, but not nearly strong enough to get that container out by myself. And forget trying to rummage through it and find what I’m looking for, I didn’t even get that good of a look at Duff’s sound mixer in the first place, so how the hell would anyone expect me to know exactly which one it is?

Knowing that I couldn’t do much at this point, I made a mental note of where this closet was located, stepping out and closing the door behind me. I must have been in there longer than I thought, because when I emerged and made my way back to the main backstage area, all of the stage hands were at their assigned spots, and I could hear the crowd absolutely _roaring_. _Wow, how many fucking people are here? I didn’t even know they had that many Japanese fans!_ I walked over to the right side of the stage, the side Duff and Richard were on. Duff was standing there with his signature bass, one of the audio guys double and triple checking that damn sound mixer. Richard had his guitar strapped onto him, and he was lightly bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. _I can understand why they’re a bit nervous. Faulty equipment and not having played with part of the original lineup for 20 years will do that to you._

I heard the announcer come on, and that was how I knew that the show was about to start. The guy introduced the band and yelled their name, to which the crow responded very enthusiastically. I heard the opening beat and guitar part start up, and instantly recognized the tune as ‘It’s So Easy’. I saw Duff and Richard head out on stage, and I assumed the other members had made their appearances as well, considering the crowd was going absolutely wild.

I can’t even describe how incredible it was to hear the songs I had only heard on recording live, 30 years later. The only word coming to mind at the moment was ‘amazing’. I stood backstage, watching the light guys do their thing and occasionally catching glimpses of Axl, Slash, Duff, and Richard as they went back and forth across the stage during the first few songs. Everything was going amazingly. The crowd was having fun, the guys seemed to be having fun, and Axl was even cracking jokes and messing with the audience in between songs. One thing’s for sure, they certainly hadn’t lost their showmanship.

As the concert drew on, the day turned to dusk, which turned to dark. I could feel it getting chillier, and gave a small shudder. _How could they be performing without jackets or anything? Well, they are performing and moving around quite a lot, they probably are too hot and sweaty to notice how nippy the air has gotten. Even with it being inside with this many people, it still seemed rather chilly, like the place didn’t’ even have heat!_ The band had just started a new song and I realized that it was Rocket Queen, one of my favorite songs ever by them. Yeah, I know the controversy and whatnot surrounding the track, but it was still a really sexy song. I hummed along to the opening chords and closed my eyes, tapping my foot along with the beat when I noticed a slight change in the sound. Weird, that doesn’t sound exactly like it should. It was then that I saw a look of confusion which very quickly turned to panic on Tyler and Evan’s faces.

Immediately, I realized why they looked so scared. _Duff’s sound mixer! It finally gave! Fuck Fuck FUCK!_ The same thought seemed to be passing through their minds at the same time it did mine. I quickly made my way over to them.

“Duff’s mixer!” I said, worried.

“We know!” they replied simultaneously. We looked toward the stage, and Duff had finally seemed to notice that something sounded a little off. He looked backstage and caught Evan’s eye, his gaze asking _what the fuck is going on with my tone?_ He then seemed to realize and quickly glanced down at the sound mixer on his hip, glancing back up at all of us. We all nodded, to agree with him that the mixer was indeed the cause of the shift in tone. Duff quickly looked back to the audience, trying to make them believe that everything was peachy.

But it isn’t. Everything is the _opposite_ of peachy right now. In my haze of panic, I suddenly remembered something. I turned to Evan and Tyler. “I’ll be right back” I said, turning on my heel and practically _sprinting_ down the hallway. The supply closet appeared before me, and I skidded to a halt, nearly face planting into the door as I slowed. I burst through it and started rummaging through the box of sound mixers and chords. _Please, any God, hell, all of you Gods, please let there be the one that I need!_ I had remembered the model number and the brand, that would have to be enough. I threw chords left and right, picking up every sound mixer that was the same brand as Duff’s. As the bin emptied, I felt my stomach dropping lower and lower, not finding what I was looking for. I almost started to give up when I noticed one laying in the corner of the bin, almost completely hidden by a tangled mess of chords. I picked it up, realizing it was indeed the same brand. I scanned over the model number, reciting the one in my head that I had memorized as Duff’s.

The numbers matched. Bingo! I pulled it out, and a chord came with it, already connected. I quickly inspected it to make sure everything was undamaged, and breathed a sigh of relief when it was. I hurriedly untangled myself from the cords I had hastily flung around the room and headed to the door. _I’ll come back and clean it up later._ I sprinted back to Evan and Tyler and came to a stop in front of them, leaning over and gasping for breath.

“I found… a storage closet….earlier…..saw a bin full of sound mixer stuff…found this….” I said in between breaths, holding out my hand to reveal the exact mixer Duff was using, just in better condition. “Think…think they’ll mind if….we borrow it?” I questioned.

Evan looked like he wanted to pick me up and bear hug me. Tyler actually did, spinning me around once and putting me down. “Yes, that’s the one! Now how the _fuck_ are we gonna get it out to Duff?”

I realized that I really had been pretty quick, as they had just started the chorus for the first time. I saw that Duff had come back to his side of the stage, doing the best he could to play with the wrong tone. I had to admit, he was doing a pretty damn good job. I turned back to Evan and Tyler. “It’s pretty dark out and I’m wearing dark clothes. I’m stealthy, I can find a way to get him to the edge of the stage so I can replace his old one with this.” I explained.

Tyler nodded in understanding.

I turned to Evan. “You guys go find my dad and tell him we’ve got it under control. I don’t know where he is, but I do know that he’s picked up on the issue by now and is probably yanking his hair out as we speak.”

They both nodded and ran off backstage, leaving me completely alone on that side of the stage. Well, it’s good that I have a plan, but how the hell am I going to execute it? It may be dark, but with all the lights and people, there’s almost no way I won’t be seen. I peeked back out and saw that Duff was walking down the steps of the big platform behind the drums on the side of the stage I was standing on. As he reached the bottom step, he happened to glance over and see me. I held up the sound mixer and shook it lightly back and forth, a grin on my face. He instantly grinned back and started nonchalantly making his way over to me without letting on what he was doing to the audience. They all probably though that he was just moving like he usually does.

He came to stand with his back to me, and I was pleased to see that there was no possible way for any of the audience to see me. It was too dark on this side of the stage, all the light was up front towards Slash’s side, as he had started his talkbox portion at this point. While everyone was paying attention to him, that would give me the chance to switch out Duff’s malfunctioning mixer for the borrowed one. He turned his head to the side, still playing the simple backbeat on his bass.

“Where the fuck did you find another one?” he asked in my ear, having to raise his voice a little over the music and the crowd.

“I was exploring earlier and found a tech closet, and it had a big ass box of sound mixers and cords in it. Went to look and found it when I first heard your mixer finally take a shit on you just now. It lasted a lot longer than I thought it would.” I explained in his ear.

He looked at me in the eyes, and even in the dark area we were in, I could still see the admiration and relief on his face. “Thank god for you, hon.” he said, giving me his dazzling smile.

I smiled and blushed. “I appreciate your compliments, but I need to switch this out. Tell me what I need to do.”

“The mixer should slide right out of the holder, but it’s connected to the end of my bass, and the cord is running along the back of it to keep me from tripping and to keep it from swinging around for the audience to see” he quickly explained.

I nodded.

“I would help you, but I’m a bit busy at the moment, as you can see” he joked, motioning with his head down at the bass.

I nodded again. _Guess I’ll have to do this myself. Oh, boy._ I quickly reached for his hip, grasping the mixer and giving a tug, to which it stayed in the holder, but with the tough jerk I gave managed to jerk Duff back slightly, to which I heard a surprised “ah” from him. I placed my hand on his back, his _very sweaty_ back, I might add, to steady him.

“Sorry, it’s really stuck in there” I apologized. God, I’m gonna have to hold his hip and take the entire thing off, holder and all, to get the mixer out. _Okay, calm down. It’s just his hip. barely a touch, just for a second._ I gently placed my hand on his hip and fumbled around to grasp the holder, unclipping it from his belt on his jeans. Duff had a few seconds rest, so he quickly (without bringing attention to us) unhooked the cord from his bass, which allowed me to pull and the cord came free from the back of the bass. Now that that was done, I was able to slide the old mixer out and insert the new mixer into the holder. I clipped the holder back onto Duff’s belt, and the realization hit me that he was not going to be able to reattach the cord for me like he had been able to remove the old one. I knew this song like the back of my hand, I had heard it a hundred plus times, and I knew he wasn’t going to get another rest until the song ended. _Shit, how the hell are we going to attach the cord back into his bass?_ The only thing I could think of was to do it myself, but a part of me felt wrong doing that. In order to secure it, I would have to basically wrap my arms around Duff’s body, slip the cord back through the tape loops, and plug it into his bass; all without the crowd noticing. Wonderful.

I tapped Duff’s shoulder lightly, causing him to turn his head to look back at me. “I got the new one on, I just have to attach it to your bass” I explained. He nodded and angled his body so that the bass somehow hid me and the hip with the mixer issues from the sight of everyone. It didn’t really matter at this point, barely anyone was watching his side of the stage, as it was almost pitch dark. I don’t even think many people had even realized he disappeared. I took a deep breath, calming my nerves and willing my hormones to _sit the fuck down, we have work to do._ I held the cord and slowly reached my hands around to the back of the bass, trying as quickly as possible to slip the cord though the tape and secure it down.

As I was getting it through the first bit of tape, I felt my hand brush against Duff. Nothing major, just his hip. Calm down, body. However, the second bit of tape I got to, the back of my hand brushed against him again, and I realized embarrassingly that it was his crotch that my hand had come into contact with. I felt my breath hitch, and I felt Duff tense up a little bit. I quickly looked up at him, seeing him gazing down at me. Wow, this must look odd. A young girl, on her knees almost in front of him, hands near his crotch and gazing up at him. I blushed, glad that it was dark and he probably couldn’t see my face turning the same shade as a tomato. He gave me a small smirk, and continued to watch me, causing me to almost get lost in his eyes. I heard a loud guitar chord hit and a little scream-like note, which brought me back to reality. _The mixer. Right. Reconnect it to the bass._ With somewhat shaky hands, I plugged the end into his amp and smoothed down the tape to make sure it would stay in place for the remainder of the concert.

Satisfied, I pulled my hands back, even though every ounce of my body was screaming at me not to, and I slowly tried to stand. I was so sore from all the running and fumbling around with electronics that I had been doing that I winced in pain when I tried to stand. Duff somehow heard me and realized I needed some help. He hit a chord on his bass and held it out, using his left hand to wrap around my waist and help me to stand. His hand had come to rest on my hip, and I looked at him. He was really close, only about 5 inches away from me. My breath hitched, and I was able to breathe out a soft ‘thanks’. He gave me another smirk and leaned in close to my ear.

“I’m the one who should be thanking you, sweetheart” he said lowly, to which a visible shiver traveled down my spine. He leaned back and his smirk grew, confirming that he had indeed felt me shiver. I saw his eyes looked darker, and not just because it happened to be dark over here. “The tape feels a little lose, I think I hit it with my knee or something. Could you just double check it for me, babe?”

I swallowed and nodded. I decided against leaning back down and simply bent down just with my upper body to reach over and smooth down the tape. Weird, I already checked this one. No bumps or anything. Feels pretty secure to me. It wasn’t until when I moved my hand a certain way that I felt something brush against my hand that wasn’t there before. What the heck? Did something break off? I quickly realized that it was brushing against the back of my hand, not the front. _But there’s no cord behind my hand. But there is…_ I realized that what I was feeling wasn’t part of the bass or the cord to the soundmixer; it was part of Duff. A rather firm part, to be exact.

I immediately felt all the blood rush to my face, and I slowly pulled my hand away. _Duff is hard. Did I do that?_ I stood back up and looked back up at Duff to see a devilish smirk that reached to his eyes. _Damn him! He knew what would happen! He wanted me to know!_ I shyly smiled, awkwardly. “You’re all set, dude” I said, though the words came out a bit shaky.

He gave a small nod and leaned in, pecking me lightly on the cheek. “You’re a lifesaver, love” he said, pulling back and giving me one last little smirk before heading back towards the center of the stage, the lights coming back up on my side just in time to show him. Trying desperately to ignore the tingly sensation I got in my check he had kissed, I watched him reach down to his hip and click a button on the mixer, and instantly the sound improved. His tone was back, and it sounded better than ever. I let out a huge sigh of relief. We did it. Somehow without drawing attention.

My heart was beating wildly, and my mind was racing.

_What the FUCK just happened?_


End file.
